Back to the Bricks promo tour in demand throughout state

FLINT, MI — Back to the Bricks is becoming more than an annual car show — it's a
Flint export.

In anticipation of the main event, the car show planned for August, Bricks
members and local car buffs are getting ready to hit the road for the annual
statewide tour. Starting in 2010, the
tour has just gotten bigger, said Bricks founder Al Hatch.

Of the six cities they'll be visiting, four—Cadillac, Oscoda, Mt. Pleasant
and Hart—are return engagements.

"They've contacted us, saying, 'We want you to come back,'" Hatch said. "The ones that we've been to really
understand the drill, so to speak."

The other two cities on the list are Rockford and West
Branch.

At every stop but Rockford, which has a large, open lot for the drivers to
park and pop the hoods, each city is shutting its downtown for what Hatch
called a "mini Bricks" event.

They'll be part of a parade for the Asparagus Festival in Rockford, getting
a police escort in West Branch and doing a "figure eight" cruise around two
lakes in Cadillac.

Last year, Cadillac's mayor, Bill Barnett called the event "historic," adding that he'd
wanted a festival like it for years and was glad it was finally happening.

"We're stoked, we're excited," Barnett said of the upcoming tour, adding that the city council had just given its final approval for the event May 20. "The entire town is excited."

Pete Fabbri, who owns The Silver Lining Boutique and Wine Tasting Room in
West Branch, is the city's go-to guy for downtown events. He said when he heard
of the Back to the Bricks promo tour from a friend with Flint ties, he made it
"his mission" to get the tour to come through his city.

Having been an engineer for General Motors and Ford in Detroit, he said he
still carries a lot of pride in Michigan's automotive culture.

"There's something inside me that just kind of burns to be part of that auto
scene," he said. "I thought this would be a great addition to what we do in
West Branch."

Drivers on the tour — anyone is welcome to sign up — will also be hitting stops
between the cities where they'll be staying overnight. They'll be part of a
"Back to the '50s" event in Ludington as they pass through, having breakfast
with an experimental aircraft group on their way into Hart, and will have
breakfast at a depot-turned-museum in Standish, among others.

Roberta Vasilow, who organizes the tour, said that so far 100 people have
signed up to be part of the cruise. Last year 140 went, and she expects the
number to get that high again by the time they rally in downtown Flint to head
out for the tour.

"Last year, 40 people signed up the day we left," she said.

Each year, the tour changes its route and picks a name to match it. Hatch
said they've already received inquiries from Lansing and Jackson about having
the tour come through.

"We fully anticipated that this is going to get bigger and bigger each
year," he said.